Woke up thinking I'd been tossed in a dumpster.
The smell... God, the smell.
Rotting meat. Burnt plastic. That thick, wet stench of a sewer backing up. It rammed straight up my nose.
"Urgh!!"
Rolled over. Dry-heaved. Stomach was empty, so nothing came up but acid burning my throat.
Head was splitting. Leg felt like it was on fire.
Gasped for air. Touched the ground. Not asphalt. Not concrete. Grit. Rubble. Cold as death.
Opened my eyes.
Sky looked like a dirty dishrag. No sun. Just heavy, suffocating grey clouds.
Total wasteland.
Skyscrapers snapped in half like twigs, steel bones sticking out. Streets choked with rusted-out cars. Trash everywhere. Plastic bags flapping in the wind. Snap-snap-snap.
And the silence. It was wrong. No cars. No people. No birds.
"Where... the hell is this?"
Sat up. Brain empty. Kidnapped? Dreaming?
Pinched my thigh. Hard.
"Ow!"
Okay. Pain is real. Not a dream.
"You up?"
A voice inside my head. Male. Cold. Dripping with arrogance. Like a CEO talking to the janitor.
I jumped. Panicked. "Who? Who's there?!"
"Down here," the voice sighed. Impatient. "Look down, idiot."
I looked.
Sitting on a pile of rubble. The dog. The same damn Shiba Inu that bit me.
Sitting there perfect. Looking down its nose at me. Golden eyes full of judgment. The blue rune on its forehead pulsed.
"You..." I pointed a shaking finger. "You... you talked?"
Dog didn't open its mouth. Voice was direct-to-brain.
"Technically? It's a 'Soul Link.' And trust me, I hate this as much as you do. But the System says you're my... accessory."
It paused, like it was looking for a polite word for 'trash'.
Accessory?
Before I could process that, a blue hologram popped up in my face. Like a sci-fi movie, but annoying.
[Destiny System · Status Panel]
Host: Shadow
Race: Mutated Spirit Dog / Awakening
Status: Good
Level: Lv.1
Skill: Wind Blade (Basic)
Battle Pet: Victor
Race: Human / Out of Shape
Status: Minor Injury, Mental Instability
Talent: None
(System Note: Can walk on two legs. Otherwise useless. Recommended use: Bait or Mule.)
Level: Lv.0
[Mission: SURVIVE]
Goal: Find shelter before dark.
Penalty: Death. (Souls are bound. Host dies = You die.)
I stared at the panel.
Battle Pet? Bait? Mule? I have a degree. I'm a human being. And I'm ranked lower than a dog? "Useless"?
"You gotta be kidding me!"
Rage overrode the fear. I scrambled up, leg screaming in protest.
"I'm the human! You're the dog! This thing is broken!" I yelled at Shadow. "I should be the Host! You're the pet!"
"Stats don't lie."
Shadow didn't even blink. He scratched his ear with a hind leg, looking bored.
"Genetically? I'm superior. Senses, speed, bite force—I win. And you..." He looked me up and down. "What can you do? Besides whine?"
"I..."
Choked. Wanted to say I'm good at Excel. Financial reports. But here? In this rubble? Useless.
Then, a noise.
"Uhh… gurgh… hhh…"
Wet. Phlegmy. Dragging footsteps. Coming from behind a bus wreck.
A person.
"Someone's here!" Heart jumped. Even a bad guy is better than a talking dog and a wasteland. "Hey! You!" I ignored the dog. Limped toward the bus. "Excuse me! Where are we? Can I borrow a phone..."
"Stop, idiot." Shadow's voice went sharp. "That's not a person."
"Shut up! What does a dog know?"
I was done listening to him. I needed a human. Rounded the bus. Saw him.
Suit was shredded. Body twisted all wrong. He turned slowly.
My heart stopped.
Half his face was gone. Just bone and black gums. The rest? Rotting meat. No eyes, just grey dead jelly. Mouth smeared with black blood. Holding a dead rat. Stuffing it into his mouth. Rat guts dripping down his chin.
"Urgh..."
The smell hit me. Corpse rot. Ten times worse than the garbage.
Not a person. A zombie. A literal, movie-monster zombie.
"GRAAAH!!"
It saw me. Dropped the rat. Shrieked. Stiff movements turned violent. Arms out. Black claws aimed at my face.
Fast. Like a rabid animal.
Fear. Real, bone-deep terror.
Legs turned to water. Brain screamed RUN, but feet were glued to the ground. That's the reality. No hero moment. Just frozen panic.
Ten meters. Five. Three...
Rotting face getting closer. Foul breath. Claws inches away. Dead. I'm dead.
Closed my eyes.
"Useless."
Shadow's voice exploded in my head.
Whoosh!
Golden blur shot past. Shadow.
He didn't bite—too dirty. Mid-air twist. Tail glowed cyan. Whipped around like a steel pipe.
CRACK!
Bone snapped. Loud.
Tail slammed into the zombie's knees. Legs bent backward. Zombie went down face-first. Thud.
"Graaagh!!" It thrashed, trying to crawl.
"Run! You waiting for an invitation?!" Shadow landed. Roared at me. "It's not dead! More are coming!"
That scream woke me up.
Looked at the monster crawling at me. Survival instinct finally kicked in.
"AHHHH—!"
Screamed. Turned. Ran. Dignity? Gone. Just wanted to live.
"Right! Go right! More cover!" Shadow barked orders. Calm. Terrifyingly calm. "Don't look back! Do not look back!"
I ran. Lungs burning. Blood squishing in my shoe. Didn't care.
Behind me? More roars. Two. Five... a dozen.
Ruins were waking up. Red eyes glowing in the shadows everywhere.
"Welcome to hell, Pet." Shadow was way ahead of me. Fast. Voice mocking. "Know your place yet?"
I ran. Staring at the grey, dead world. Ice in my veins.
Not a dream. This is the apocalypse.